The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 1156-1162: After taking a job as a mall elf, Marley takes on a special project with the help of a few willing friends from Glee Club.
1. On the First Day

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 55th cycle. Now cycle 56!_

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**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"  
Marley, New Directions...**

**1. On the First Day**

Of all the elves in Santa's Village at the Lima mall that year, she was no doubt the only one who had taken on the job not only willingly but with some level of anticipation. She had needed the job and the extra money it would bring in for her mother and herself, but of all the options she might have had, this one had the extra incentive of being sort of magical.

She remembered when she was little, and she still believed in Santa and everything around him. Her mother would take her to the mall, and as timid as she might have been, she wasn't the kid who cried or clammed up by the time they were sat on the jolly man's lap. He always remembered her, which she'd eventually come to realize might have had to do with her mother feeding him information from over her shoulder, and it would make her day. After she'd found out he wasn't real, her mother had soothed the hurt by telling her he was part of the magic of Christmas, and so long as she believed in that, then he was as real to her as she herself was.

The job would no doubt come with the odd awkward moment or two. A lot of the kids from her school would be at the mall, whether they were shopping or bringing a younger sibling to see Santa. She was anticipating her share of comments and jokes, so she wasn't going to expedite the process by letting everyone know about it. If they found out, then they found out, and if they didn't, then they didn't.

Maybe it was her smile and her excitement at the prospect of getting the job, but she was hired in a flash. Soon she was handed a box that would contain her costume. She hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Her mind still went to those dress fittings for Grease, the panic that would overtake her when she would see that her skirt wouldn't close.

But she had taken the box home and, while her mother was still out, she opened it and laid out the pieces on her bed. The skirt, green with accents of gold, matched the shirt, although the sleeves matched the red and white striped stockings. Her accessories included pointed green shoes with bells that would chime as she walked, a matching hat, and lastly the means to make her ears pointy.

Her long hair was pulled into a braid, which she fixed with a green ribbon on the end in order to match the outfit, and she added a touch of sparkle to her makeup, to complete the 'magic' feeling. Once she'd put on everything that was laid out on her bed, she went and stood before her mirror. She was transformed, and with a smile and a jiggle of her belled shoes, Marley the Elf had come to life.

Saturday came around, her first day on the job, and she rode the bus with her costume tucked away in her backpack. She wasn't sure what to expect, never having hung around too long to notice if there might be a lot of people going by throughout the day.

The 'village' wouldn't open for another twenty minutes, and the lineup already spilled out beyond count. Marley saw this and immediately felt both anxious and nervous.

After clocking in and changing into her costume, she had been dispatched to stand at the top of the line, ready to let the children and their parents through when the man in the red suit took his seat and began to receive his guests. At the very front of the line was a blonde girl of no more than four years, sleeping in her father's arms, and what she guessed to be her older brother, six or seven years old and equally blonde. The boy would not stop looking at her from the moment she showed up. He looked at her shoes, her hat, and everything in between. Finally she had to smile and look at him.

"Are you excited to meet Santa Claus?" she asked, crouching in front of him.

"Are you really an elf?" the boy asked directly.

"That's exactly what I am," she promised him.

"What's my name?" he stared her down, testing her. She didn't panic. She shrugged and smiled.

"Okay, I don't know," she told him, and his face said 'ha!' "But that's not my job, that's Santa's." The boy frowned, but she had given him an answer he could approve, so he did. "So what is your name?" she asked.

"Jack O'Malley," the boy told her.

"What are you going to ask Santa for, Jack?" He screwed up his face, shaking his head. "Don't want to tell me?"

"If I say it to someone else then it won't come true, like a wish, right?" Marley smirked.

"What if you whispered it in my ear? Elves are magic, too, you could have twice the chance," she told him, and the boy looked back to his father, who was looking after his freshly awakened sister, before turning back to the elf. He took a step forward and leaned to whisper at the pointed elf's ear. When she heard what he wanted to ask Santa, her smile faltered. She looked back into the boy's brown eyes, took his hands in hers. "I'm going to do my very best, okay?" she promised, and Jack smiled.

Less than a minute later, the doors to the 'village' were opened, and Jack and his sister and all the other children who had come slowly made their way up the line and up to sit on Santa's lap, talk to him, get their picture taken with him… Eventually she had managed to put her first encounter at the back of her mind, but at the end of the day, when the fake ears and the shoes with the bells came off, she could still hear the whispered words of little Jack O'Malley.

"_I'm going to ask him to make my mom better."_

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. It's All In The Pointy Ears

___**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: The Fair Collaboration, chapter 7__._

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**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**2. It's All In The Pointy Ears**

The morning of her second day had been just as busy as the first, only with a few more 'surprises.' An hour into her time, one little girl with a cup of juice had been so taken with the elf girl that she had wanted to give her a hug. Marley had gladly accepted it… only to find the cup burst open, spilling orange juice down her back.

Thankfully, it had hit mostly the green part of her costume and wouldn't show, but she'd have to get it washed before she could put it on again, and would have to be mindful of the fact her back was covered in juice. She tried to look on the bright side by realizing she now smelled like oranges, which was 'sort of Christmassy.'

Between the juice incident and a handful of complaining kids as well as a fair share or crying babies afraid of Santa, she was in strong need of a break. Finally lunch had come around, and she threw her jacket over her costume, leaving her hat and pointed shoes behind once she had slipped back into her boots. She went to the food court, carrying the lunch her mother had packed her. She would eat it all, and she would keep it down.

As she was eating, she couldn't help thinking about the boy from the day before, and she couldn't stop thinking about his request. He had asked her in the guise of the elf, with her magic, just like he would have asked Santa Claus for that same reason… He wanted them to make his mother better. They had been first in line, and she wondered if he had made sure they would be there this early, to make sure they would get seen by Santa.

The part that stayed with her was that she had told him, not knowing what he would ask, that they would help him get what he wanted. Only if it was an illness that needed curing, then… how was she, or Ned the mall Santa, supposed to make that happen for him?

Her eyes had swept sideways, and there she noticed there were two pairs of eyes looking back at her.

The two girls sat at a neighboring table with their mother and their big sister. If she had to guess, she'd say they were four to five years old, maybe even twins, though she didn't think so. Both were looking at her, and after a few seconds she had to remember she still had her elf ears for all to see. She turned her head, letting them see that she had seen them looking, and she gave them a smile and a wink. They gasped and smiled back.

It was only once she'd properly looked at them that she got a good look at their mother, and then she realized: she knew her. Monica had worked with her mother in the cafeteria of her old school. Looking at the girls now, she knew who they were. The eldest was ten and her name was Rose. The two on-lookers were Zoe and Sadie, one was five, and the other… she'd be almost four now. She'd never met the girls in person, but she'd seen plenty of pictures. This gave her an idea.

After having gathered up her lunch, she stood and went up to the other table. She could hear the girls talking to each other and to their mother, and when Monica looked up, Marley did her best to telegraph for both her and Rose to play along, letting the girls believe that she really was the elf they took her for.

"Hi there," she crouched down, much as she'd been doing for most of that morning and the day before, getting to eye level with the girls. "I know who you are," she smiled.

"You do?" both girls spoke at once. In this case, she didn't need to deflect the question.

"Yes, I know your name is Zoe," she pointed her finger toward the five-year-old, who beamed immediately. "And you… well, you're Sadie, aren't you?" she asked, and the three-year-old nodded. "Santa told me all about you. He told me how you've been very good girls this year. Are you going to come say hello at Santa's Village today?" she asked.

"Mommy, can we?" Zoe turned back to Monica. The woman looked to her eldest daughter, who didn't look too keen to go. Marley vaguely recalled a story of how she had found out Santa wasn't real and hadn't taken it so well. But then there were her little sisters, so eager, so she shrugged.

"After you finish eating, alright?" They didn't have to be told twice.

Marley had returned to her post with a new sort of excitement. She knew it would be some time before Monica and the girls had their turn, so she waited it out, with a new crop of screamers and stompers. Finally Zoe and Sadie had their turn, together. Rose had wandered off to the side, not too far, which left Marley and Monica to wait while the little ones had their turn.

"How's your mom?" Monica asked.

"Good, she's good," Marley nodded with a smile. She wasn't going to get into their recent problems with her, didn't want her to have to know about her disorder and what it had caused for them. "She really misses you and the others from over there though."

"Yeah, so do I," Monica had spoken, perhaps not meaning for the girl to hear, but still she did.

"What happened?" Marley asked, and Monica looked around, seeing where the girls were before going on.

"Cut backs, I was let go," she revealed.

"When?" Marley asked, surprised.

"I finished last week. They don't know, so…"

"I won't tell," Marley assured her, then, "Any luck finding another job?"

"Not yet. If I don't find something soon, we might have to move. I can barely afford all of it as it is. Right now all I want to do is get them through the holidays."

Zoe and Sadie had returned from their talk with Santa with smiles on their faces and candy canes in their hands, which they proudly presented to their mother and Marley. She watched Monica and her girls head on off, almost forgetting her post as the greeting elf before she remembered and willed the smile back on her face.

It was two of them now. Between Jack and his mother, and Monica and her girls, Marley found herself thinking if only she could share some of this magic she felt for Christmas with those kids, those families, then it would be something… _So what if I did…_

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Here Come the Elves

**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**3. Here Come the Elves**

Her mother had taken the opportunity to give her back her cleaned up costume when she came into the cafeteria to see her. Marley would have preferred not to have to walk around with it, but she was going to be working a few hours after school, so there was no way around it. She stuck the clothes into her backpack, along with the other pieces of her costume before heading off to her locker to put them all in there over the afternoon periods.

"Are you chiming?" She hadn't noticed her standing there across the hall from her locker, and she turned to look at her.

"What?" she asked, and Kitty took a few steps forward.

"I heard bells."

"I didn't hear anything," Marley shrugged innocently, working the combination on her locker. Kitty looked as though she had lost interest, so she started moving off until…

"Hey, I saw you at the mall yesterday," Sugar came up to Marley with a grin.

"You did?" Marley hesitated.

"Yeah, I didn't recognize you at first because of the costume. I didn't know you were working as an elf," Sugar laughed and smiled, while Marley's eyes squeezed tight. She knew what would happen next even before it did. When she opened her eyes, Kitty was back by her side.

"No bells, uh?" she asked.

"Okay, so I'm an elf, it's no big deal," Marley breathed, putting her bag into the locker and pulling out her books.

"Maybe it is a big deal, if you're being so hush hush about it," Kitty pointed out as she and Sugar followed Marley along.

"Is this one bothering you?" The girls were joined by Wade, coming up the hallway. He'd been bothered by the Cheerio for some reason, though Marley didn't know what it was.

"No, it's fine, I was just telling them about… my project," she changed what she'd meant to say just as she was saying it, and the idea that came to her brought a smile to her face.

"What project?" Sugar asked, trying to remember when exactly a project had ever been mentioned.

"I'm working at Santa's Village at the mall, as one of their elves," she explained for Wade's sake. "And there's some kids I met there that I would like to help. There's a woman, Monica, she used to work with my mom back at my old school. She's on her own, raising three girls, and she just lost her job. All she wants is to make the holidays special for her daughters, because pretty soon things are going to get really hard for them."

"That sucks," Sugar spoke with some sympathy.

"And then there was this little boy, Jack. He came to ask Santa to make his mother better…" Marley went on, the face of the boy appearing in her mind. The three that surrounded her had been quiet for a few seconds, and of all she might have expected, the first to speak had been Kitty.

"How exactly do you plan on helping them?" she asked openly.

"I haven't figured out that part yet," Marley admitted.

"Well we're in the Glee Club, aren't we?" Sugar pitched in. "We could sing for them."

"Like caroling? Marley smiled, and Sugar nodded. "I like that."

"Songs won't magically make things better," Kitty pointed out.

"Maybe not, but they can help bring cheer," Wade cut in. "Unlike some people…" Kitty gave him a look before turning back to Marley.

"Fine, but what else?"

"You really want to do this?" Marley asked.

"Try not to sound so surprised?" Kitty told her, and Marley smiled.

"Well… we'll think of something," she promised, feeling herself get inspired by the fact that the three of them were willing to pitch in. This also made her realize something, and her hand absently brushed at her non-pointed ear. "If we do this, there's something else we'll need to do," she started, looking at all of them. "The kids, Zoe and Sadie, and Jack, they know me as the elf, so if I show up there dressed like me…" she drew it out, wondering if they'd reach the conclusion on their own.

"What about us?" Sugar asked, and Marley waited it out just a few more seconds…

"I think I can see where this is going, so the real question here is… Can Unique come spread some of that holiday cheer?" Wade gave a smirk to his friend.

"Oh I bet she can," Marley smiled back.

"Us too?" Sugar couldn't have been more pleased if she tried.

"Yes, well…" Marley hesitated, looking back to Kitty. "What do you think?" The cheerleader looked like she was doing all she could to keep her face blank while she considered her options, but finally she threw out her hand: she was in. "Okay, so I'll see if maybe I could borrow some extra costumes from them."

She had left for the mall after last period. All she could hope for was that she would be able to get the costumes for Sugar, Kitty, and Unique. Everything had been falling into place so easily so far, and she wanted it to continue going that way. She didn't know just yet what they would do beyond the caroling, but getting the three of them to help her had given her the boost of optimism that she needed. They would find something and they would bring what they could to these two families.

Her holiday luck wasn't done giving. Her boss was willing to loan her the costumes, with the very clear warning that any damage or loss would be her responsibility. But she was more than willing to accept this once the three boxes were given to her. Everything was going according to plan.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Get Ready, Get Set

___**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Padra's Run, chapter 7__._

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**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**4. Get Ready, Get Set**

It was the night before Christmas Eve before she ever got around to telling her mother about the plan. They were clearing up after dinner when Marley had looked to her mother. "I saw Monica at the mall the other day," she started, and her mother smiled.

"I haven't talked to her in ages," she shook her head. "Did you see the girls?"

"I did. They thought I was an elf," Marley explained.

"You do look the part," her mother agreed.

"Did you know she lost her job? Monica, I mean." At her mother's surprised look, she went on. "Cutbacks."

"We had that threat hanging over our heads even when I was still there," she sighed. "Are they doing alright?" Marley shook her head.

"Monica said things would get really bad, and she's just trying to get them through the holidays."

"I should see with Figgins if they might be able to take on one more," her mother nodded, determined. "And I'll give Monica a call." Marley smiled, hoping deeply that her mother could make this happen for her.

"And then there was another family, a little boy came to ask Santa to help his mother, so I got to thinking… A few of the others from Glee Club and I, we're going to go out there to sing for both of them, Christmas carols and all… It's not a lot, but it's something," she explained.

"I don't doubt for a second it'll be good for them," her mother smiled that proud smile of hers, the one she would give her. After everything they'd gone through in recent weeks, it felt good to see it.

With one last rehearsal with Unique, Kitty, and Sugar coming up the next morning, Marley had gathered up the four costumes and was on her way down to tell her mother she was leaving, when she came into the kitchen to find a trio of bags sitting on the table.

"What's all this?" Marley asked, while her mother was carrying some plastic containers to put into one of the bags. The kitchen smelled like sugar and spice.

"Just some cookies and things," her mother explained. Marley looked in the bags. Two of them had cookies and soup and other things she could tell had been made by her, while the third looked to contain toys and clothes. "You've got one bag each for your two families, and this is for Monica and the girls." Marley hugged her mother, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you…"

The three bags and four costumes were loaded into the car, and then she was off to Kitty's house, as she had offered it as a rehearsal space. It was hard to tell with the cheerleader sometimes, but Marley was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. As far as their 'Caroling Elves' project went, Kitty had been the picture of openness and generosity.

When she arrived at the Wilde house, she left the bags from her mother in the car, taking the costumes up and ringing the bell. Kitty opened the door and greeted her with "I'm not going to look ridiculous, am I?"

"I promise," Marley told her, following the blonde up the stairs.

"I'll hold you to that. By the way, how much room is there in your car?"

"It depends, why?" Marley asked, but she got her answer when they got to Kitty's room and she saw what had gone on in her absence.

Kitty's bed was almost covered, with bags and boxes. From what Marley could see there were containers of food, and a number of wrapped presents. She could sort of make out three different 'patterns' in the bags and the wrapping paper, which she had to mean each of them had brought a part of the gathered loot.

"This is amazing…" was all she could say.

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Kitty asked.

"Which one's my costume?" Sugar came up, grabbing the boxes from her. Marley had identified each with a post-it fixed to the top, so Sugar distributed the boxes. Unique had gone to change in the upstairs bathroom, Sugar in the downstairs one, while Kitty changed in the one in her room. Marley had her own costume already, save for the shoes, the hat, and the ears, which she took care of before examining the gathered items, which the trio had split in two, half for Monica's family, half for Jack's. She had never expected anything like this. Now it was here, and she couldn't wait to get started.

Hearing a sound from Kitty's bathroom, she turned. "Everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Kitty replied. "It's these damned ears."

"Need a hand?" Marley called back.

"I can put on fake ears on my own," the frustration carried through the door.

"Right, okay," Marley smirked to herself, just as Sugar popped in through the door.

"Check me out!" she turned around on the spot, showing off her costume.

"It looks great," Marley laughed. "How about a little glitter?" she pointed to her own cheeks. Sugar nodded giddily, moving to 'sparkle up.'

"This is the boy's costume, isn't it?" Unique came in. She wore short pants instead of a skirt, with suspenders over the red and white striped shirt, no green vest.

"I'm sorry," Marley cringed. "It was all they had that would fit. But you still look great," she smiled.

"Of course I do," her smile was back. Sugar came up to dab the glitter on her cheeks. "Easy, there, it's a cheek, not a disco ball…"

"Kitty, are you ready? I promised my mom I'd be back in time for dinner," Marley went up to the bathroom door just as it opened, and she jumped back, breathing out. Kitty had pulled her hair into pigtails, keeping out of the way of the pointed elf ears. It looked like she was trying not to smile… she was failing.

"It totally suits you," Sugar put in her opinion, coming up on glitter duty once again. Kitty was startled, taking it from her.

"It's okay, I'll do it," she insisted, moving to her mirror. Marley smiled, looking at her trio of elves.

"Okay, so quick rehearsal, we pack all these in the car, and we can go."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Merry Christmas To All

**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**5. Merry Christmas To All**

She had gotten Monica's address through her mother, and as they approached, she parked the car around the corner. "I thought the house was over there," Sugar pointed up the street.

"It is," Marley confirmed, as the motor quieted. "I figured if we're supposed to be elves, magic and all, then the car might give it away. No, so we'll leave it here and go up there, stand on the lawn, and… we sing until they come out," she nodded along.

"What about the food and the presents and all that?" Kitty asked from the back.

"We take it with us," Marley got out of the car, and the others followed. She removed her coat, shimmying out of her boots and into her elf shoes. She'd had to put the boots back on when she remembered she'd be driving.

"Marley?" Unique asked. None of them were taking off their coats. She looked to them.

"What?" she shrugged. "We're elves…" she had to remind them one more time, and three groans later, the coats were left in the car, the bags were taken, and their ringing feet were bound up the street toward Monica's house.

"Freezing…" Kitty complained. "If I lose any toes, I will…"

"If I were you I'd can the attitude, you're an elf, you're supposed to be cheerful," Unique warned. The smile slipped so seamlessly on to Kitty's face, it was slightly startling.

"Well let's hurry this up before our vocal cords freeze as well, and then your toes will come off, not because of the cold, got it?" the blonde spoke with her smile plastered on.

"At least our cheeks will be rosy," Sugar pointed out, her voice quaking with cold. "That's good for elves, right?"

"Please, just remember why we're doing this?" Marley begged to rally her elves back on task.

"Alright, I'll play nice," Kitty promised, her face relaxing into a more natural smile.

"What if they don't come out?" Unique asked as they settled the bags on the snow-covered lawn and stood in a row.

"Sing louder," Marley breathed out.

"What if they're not home?" Sugar asked.

"It's Christmas Eve, they will be, trust me," Marley told them. "Ready?" she smiled, looking up to the house. The others gave confirmation. "Alright then, elves, here we go."

Marley led them into their first song, and they had to hope that it wouldn't take too long for them to hear and come out, or they really would freeze. They stood practically huddled to maintain their warmth.

It took no more than twenty seconds before Marley spotted Zoe peeking through one of the windows. Her face lit up at the sight of the elves, and even without looking Marley could hear the smiles in her friends' voices. Zoe dashed from the window, and soon after the door opened. Out stepped Zoe, wearing her boots and her jacket over her pyjamas. Seconds later there came both Rose and Sadie, in the same ensembles, and finally there was Monica. The girls had looks of surprise and wonder in their eyes as they took in the singing elves, while Monica was confused and smiling. She knew the girls were not elves as her younger daughters would have believed, so she had to be asking herself what was happening.

With the song ended, the girls and their mother clapped, which the elves took as their cue to pick up their bags and approach them. "You're the elf we saw at the mall!" Sadie declared, looking to Marley.

"That's right, I am," she beamed. "I brought some friends of mine from the workshop," she went on, looking to the others.

"Hi," Zoe and Sadie were quick to welcome the three of them, who waved and smiled.

"Do you know, Santa wanted us to bring some special treats for all of you," Kitty spoke up. It was as though the girls were only now seeing the bags they carried.

"Please, come in, it's freezing out…" Monica remembered herself after having been lost in watching her daughters and the elves.

"Yes, yes it is," Unique nodded as everyone went in.

"Isn't it cold in the North Pole?" Zoe asked.

"Oh, yes," Sugar told her.

"But you girls, you could catch a cold," Marley covered.

"There's presents!" Sadie announced, having peeked into one of the bags.

"There are, but you have to promise not to open them until tomorrow morning, okay?" Marley told her.

"But you can help put them under the tree," Kitty suggested.

"Let's do that," said Rose with a smile. She was older than her sisters, wise to the situation, but she played along. The elves helped the girls pull the presents out, setting them under the small tree in the corner. They couldn't tell one wrapped item apart as being for one or the other yet, but they still took great care to place them. Marley looked back, seeing Monica standing back to watch the scene. She was on the verge of tears. So Marley stood back and went to her, bowing her head with a smile. Monica mouthed the words 'thank you,' and Marley reached out to hug her.

"Those two there, they're from my mom," she whispered, indicating the two bags she had nudged to the side before the girls could go digging in. "And she said she was going to ask the principal at McKinley if there might be an opening for you. It's nothing to promise yet, but I…" she went on to explain, and Monica nodded, understanding.

"You tell her thanks when you get home."

"Well, actually, we have one more stop to make before I head back. There was a little boy, and his mother, she…" Monica was listening, and then she turned to the girls, who were laughing as Sadie flicked at the bells on Sugar's shoes.

"Girls, come here," she called to her daughters. They hesitated, but then they stood and went to their mother, who spoke to them in hushed tones. Marley looked to the other elves, all of them just as unsure of what was happening as she was. But then Rose, Zoe, and Sadie nodded and smiled and they ran upstairs.

"Is something wr…"

"I told them to go and get dressed. We'd like to come along if that's alright."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. And To All A Good Night

___**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Technicolor Wishes & Hi-Def Dreams, chapter 7__._

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**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**6. And To All A Good Night**

It had taken a bit more effort to get the address for their second stop. If the boy hadn't given his family name, she might never have found them at all. But he did, and after a short search, she had found where they needed to go. This one was even more hit or miss, and she hoped for not only her fellow elves but for Monica and her daughters' sake that the O'Malleys would be at home and would hear their song.

To preserve the magic for Zoe and Sadie as much as for Jack and his sister, Marley had told Monica to give them a few minutes' head start, enough to reach the car, drive to the O'Malleys', park around the corner there as well, and carry their bags off to the lawn. They arrived, taking all the benefits of the heat in the car before they went to reach their post. They were right on time, putting their bags down just as Monica's car came up to the curb. The girls came out running toward the elves, who smiled and ushered them to stand in front. As Monica arrived, Marley once again lead them into song. As she expected of them, the girls had no trouble following along.

The power of their voices had doubled now, and Marley didn't feel the cold at all, not even a little.

When the door opened, there was Mr. O'Malley, with the same sort of surprise and confusion as Monica had shown when she had seen the elves on her lawn. A moment later, out came Jack behind him, and when he spotted the elf he had met at the mall, he gasped and ran back inside the house. A moment later he returned, waving someone forward, and there his mother appeared, leading his younger sister by the hand. The family stood there together, Mr. O'Malley picking up his daughter as he'd done the day Marley had seen them at the mall. For his part, Jack came to stand with his mother, taking her hand so she would approach, and she smiled, holding him near.

The song came to an end, and seeing Jack was anxious to come up to them, and seeing that he was wearing only slippers on his feet and no boots, the elves took up their bags and went forward. Marley was in front, and putting her bags down, she crouched in front of Jack, much as she'd done the day they met. "Hey, Jack, remember me?"

"Yeah," he nodded before turning to his mother. "That's her, mom, that's the elf I saw at the mall," he pointed, then seeing the others, he looked even happier.

"I didn't tell them what you told me, and Santa is going to do his best to get it for you," she told him, and he looked at her with an understanding nod. "In the meantime though, he did want me to bring you and your family some treats, do you want to see?" she asked. Jack looked to his parents, wondering.

"Please come in," Mrs. O'Malley bowed her head.

The four elves, along with Monica and her daughters, followed the O'Malleys back into their home. Marley might have thought they would wonder how they found out where they lived, but it never came up. Zoe and Sadie knew from their own visit what would happen next, and they turned to Kitty, Sugar, and Unique, who had the bags with the presents.

"Can we put them under the tree?" Zoe asked.

"Take your boots off first," Monica told her, looking to the O'Malleys to make sure, and they nodded. "Go on." The three elves, Rose, Zoe, and Sadie, went along with Jack and his younger sister Annie. Marley could see her friends playing their parts as her fellow elves, and seeing Monica's girls pass on some of that same joy they had just received only made the entire experience even more worthwhile to Marley, and she could see the others were feeling it, too.

"Oh…" she remembered the bag she still carried, turned to hand it to Mr. O'Malley. "My mother sent these for you," she explained.

"Thank you," he nodded. "But I don't understand…"

"Jack's a special boy," Marley smiled. "We wanted to do something special right back." Looking to Mrs. O'Malley, it wasn't immediately obvious that anything might have been wrong with her, but from up close there was just something in her eyes, a worry, tiredness, and Marley wished she really could magically make everything better.

The elves had taken the children into a new song, and Marley went to join them. Four-year-old Annie had taken to the blonde elf, now sitting in her lap, leaning against her, and Kitty gently rocked side to side with her as they sang. Sugar had Zoe and Sadie on either side of her, holding one each of their hands, while Rose stood 'dancing' and laughing with Unique. Marley was reunited with her buddy Jack who showed himself a very motivated singer.

The singing had carried on for the time of several more songs, before Jack and Annie had to get ready for bed, and Zoe and Sadie were looking not so far off from sleep themselves. The O'Malley children had said their farewells to the elves, as had Monica's daughters, since the four pointy-eared ones had to retreat: they were needed at the North Pole.

They dashed on off from the house, disappearing from view and – as far as the kids knew – they were already back with Santa, when really they were hurrying back to the car around the corner.

Back in their seats and warm, they had to take a breath, pause. "This was so fun, can we do it again?" Sugar asked.

"Well I have to get home, and I'm sure you do, too," Marley pointed out.

"What about next year?" Unique offered, and they shared looks, wondering.

"I'll do it," Kitty spoke up. "But Santa better look into belled boots."

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	7. All In An Elf's Work

**"The Christmas Tale of Marley the Elf"**

**7. All In An Elf's Work**

They had to go back to Kitty's house in order to change into their own clothes again. The extra elf costumes were packed back into their boxes and put in the trunk of the car along with her own costume, and then she was on her way home. She was a bit later than she had intended, but it would be worth it. She simply couldn't wait to tell her mother about her evening.

She found her dozing off in front of the television, in the middle of "It's a Wonderful Life." After giving her shoulder a gentle nudge, she startled and blinked, relaxing when she saw it was her daughter. "Didn't mean to start without you, I can put it back to the beginning," she reached for the remote.

"It's alright," Marley smiled, sitting by her side and pulling at the blanket hanging off the back of the couch. "My feet are still a bit frozen from standing out there in my elf shoes," she laughed, wrapping the blanket around them.

"Did everything work out okay?"

"It was… so great," Marley promised. "Everyone looked great in their costumes, and they actually had presents to bring the kids, too," she revealed.

"That's great," Millie beamed.

"Monica's girls were so happy to see all of us, we put the presents under the tree, and I gave her the bags you put together. I also told her about you talking to Figgins, hope that's okay."

"I'm still waiting to hear back from him, but I've got my fingers crossed."

"Well Monica wanted me to tell you thanks. And then when I told her about Jack and his family, do you know what she did? She got the girls to go and get dressed, and the four of them came with us to the O'Malleys'." Millie laughed.

"That sounds like her."

"I really hope things work out with Figgins. I hate to think of what will happen if she can't get a job soon," Marley reflected.

"If it doesn't work with Figgins, I'll try and help her out another way. So what happened with the other family?" her mother asked.

"Me and the others, we had to get to the car and drive there before Zoe and Sadie could see us, but then once we all got there, we sang, and Jack and his parents and his little sister Annie came out to see us. They invited us in, and the girls helped Jack and Annie get the presents under the tree. Unique, and Kitty, and Sugar, they were all so great with the kids, too. We all sat there for a while and just sang Christmas songs together. The kids really loved it, and the parents, too."

"I bet they did."

"After we left, the others actually said they'd like to do it again next year," Marley went on. "When we were over there I just thought… There have to be so many other kids out there that have it just as bad or worse, and their Christmas won't be like this…"

"Can't help everyone," Millie gave her a smile. "The important part is you and your friends, you made those kids' night special. You remember that, alright?"

"Got it," Marley smiled back.

"I'm so proud of you," Millie told her, hugging her close. "You're the best Christmas present I could have, every year. So you just stay here, get those feet warm, I'll get you a plate ready. Dinner's still waiting," she got up and went off to the kitchen. Marley watched her go with a smile, lying back on the couch with the blanket held close.

Her year had been filled with ups and downs, especially since the beginning of the school year. So much had been happening, some of it good and the rest…

She was so grateful for all her new friends. It hadn't been an easy road there, knowing that they weren't always the people she had expected them to be. But then there were people like Unique, who had become possibly the best friend she'd ever had. She hated the way she would get treated around school from time to time, and she stood up for her as much as she could. And being in the Glee Club, it was hectic at times, and more stress than she would ever think singing and dancing could be. But it was also wonderful and thrilling, and it meant taking the road to her dreams. She was nervous, the first time she'd gone up there, but every time she went now, she got bolder.

All of it was well and good, but then… She knew when her mother would bring her that plate of dinner, she'd try not to, but she would watch her, make sure she ate everything. She hated knowing how much she had frightened her. She wouldn't forget the look on her face, when she'd come to her after she'd passed out at Sectionals. Now they were having to spend all this money they could have used elsewhere and instead put it toward therapy sessions for her.

She looked to their tree sitting there, closing her eyes and bringing back memories of her evening as an elf. Bringing that joy to two families had turned it right around and put a smile on her face. No matter how bad things got, she just had to remember them, remember how happy they had been, and then she'd feel her face take on a smile all over again.

THE END


End file.
